Tag: dawuane smoot

Zay Jones, Dawuane Smoot return to practice field Wednesday

The Jaguars had a few familiar faces making their return to the practice field Wednesday.

The Jacksonville Jaguars hit the practice fields in London on Wednesday ahead of a Week 5 matchup against the Buffalo Bills.

Offensive tackle Cam Robinson, outside linebacker Dawuane Smoot, and wide receiver Zay Jones all returned to practice from suspension, PUP list, and a knee injury, respectively.

Jones has been out of action since suffering a knee injury against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 2. The Jaguars were also without wide receiver and return specialist Jamal Agnew in Week 4 due to a quad injury. With rookie Parker Washington suffering a knee injury that’s expected to keep him out for some time, Jacksonville would be in a tricky spot if Agnew isn’t ready Sunday.

“Both guys are day-to-day,” Jaguars coach Doug Pederson said of Jones and Agnew earlier Wednesday. “We’ll get them out there today in practice, move them around, see where they’re at physically. Along the same lines, Cam Robinson will be out there today and Smoot will be out there today. Antonio Johnson will be out there today.

“All these guys we will see out there this week and see where they’re at going into this game.”

For the Bills, five players were out of action, although three were given a veteran rest day.

All eyes will be on pass rusher Von Miller, who began the year on the PUP list. The Bills opened the 21-day window for Miller to return to action, but haven’t said whether or not the veteran edge rusher will be ready to play Sunday at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

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Jaguars open Dawuane Smoot’s 21-day window to return from PUP list

Dawuane Smoot’s return is coming soon.

The Jacksonville Jaguars announced Wednesday that they’ll open the 21-day window for defensive lineman/outside linebacker Dawuane Smoot to return from the physically unable to perform (PUP) list.

Smoot, 28, is now permitted to fully practice with the team over the next three weeks. At any point in time during the window, the Jaguars can move him from the PUP list to the active roster.

If he still hasn’t been activated at the end of the 21-day period, Jacksonville would have to choose between pushing him to the roster or putting him on the season-ending injured reserve. It likely won’t come to that point as the Jaguars are probably only opening Smoot’s window to return because they feel he is close to ready.

Smoot was leading the Jaguars in sacks last season when he suffered an Achilles tear during a December game against the New York Jets. In six seasons with Jacksonville, he has recorded 22.5 career sacks with 60 quarterback hits.

The veteran became a free agent in the offseason and was scheduled to visit the Baltimore Ravens in July, but was re-signed by the Jaguars before making the trip.

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Dawuane Smoot, Antonio Johnson, Cooper Hodges traveling to London

Doug Pederson says a trio of Jaguars players are getting closer to making their 2023 season debuts.

The Jacksonville Jaguars are bringing three players recovering from injury to London, opening the possibility that Dawuane Smoot, Antonio Johnson, and/or Cooper Hodges will make their season debut(s) soon.

During a press conference Wednesday, Jaguars coach Doug Pederson said Smoot (on PUP list), Hodges (on IR), and Johnson will make the trip overseas.

Smoot, 28, re-signed with the Jaguars in July, but is still recovering from an Achilles tear that ended his 2022 season in December. At the time of the injury, Smoot led the team in sacks.

“In Smoot’s case, obviously we want to get him acclimated into practice,” Pederson said. “Once we activate him, we don’t have to make a decision right away. We want to see where he’s at with kind of the rigors of practice.”

Johnson, a fifth-round draft pick earlier this year, is on the active roster but hasn’t practiced since suffering a hamstring injury in August. On Wednesday, the rookie defensive back was back on the field at the Miller Electric Center.

 

“In regards to Antonio Johnson, he’ll actually be able to do some things this week just individual-wise just to kind of get him back into practice a little bit,” Pederson said. “Then we can actually practice him next week going into Buffalo [in Week 5] and see where he’s at. … There is a chance that he could make it for the Buffalo game.”

Hodges, a seventh-round pick in the 2023 NFL draft, suffered a knee injury in preseason that landed him on the injured reserve.

“Cooper, we’re not going to rush yet, there’s no need at this time,” Pederson said. “We’ll see how he handles the two weeks over there [in London]. He can’t — obviously, because he’s on IR — he can’t practice with the team. But he can do a lot of stuff off to the side.”

If the Jaguars designate Smoot and/or Hodges for return, it’ll open a 21-day window where those players can practice without counting against the 53-man active roster.

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Jaguars leaving DE Dawuane Smoot on PUP list into regular season

Dawuane Smoot will miss at least four regular season games while on the PUP list.

Jacksonville Jaguars veteran defensive lineman Dawuane Smoot will miss at least four games after the team decided Tuesday to keep the 28-year-old pass rusher on the PUP list.

Smoot suffered an Achilles tear in December 2022 and became a free agent in March. The Baltimore Ravens briefly showed interest in Smoot before he re-signed with the Jaguars in July.

While updates on Smoot’s recovery have been largely positive, the lineman began training camp on the PUP list and remained there through all of camp and preseason. He’ll be eligible to move to the active roster any time after the Jaguars’ Week 4 game against the Atlanta Falcons on Oct. 1.

Smoot was selected by the Jaguars in the third round of the 2017 NFL draft and is the second longest tenured player on the team after offensive lineman Tyler Shatley. After recording zero sacks in his first two seasons, Smoot tallied 22.5 sacks in the last four years.

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Jaguars 2023 roster review: DL Dawuane Smoot

The longest tenured member of the Jaguars defense, Dawuane Smoot, is back for another year after an Achilles tear ended his 2022 season.

The brunt of the offseason is in the books and training camp is underway. Join us for a player-by-player review of the Jaguars roster ahead of the 2023 season.

Dawuane Smoot was leading the Jacksonville Jaguars in sacks in the days just before Christmas during the 2022 season and needed just one more to tie his career high. Then disaster struck when an Achilles tear ended his year in Week 16.

After hitting the free agency market and even getting lightly courted by the Baltimore Ravens, Smoot finally re-signed with the Jaguars in July.

But as he works himself back from his injury, Smoot still hasn’t practiced with the Jaguars and remains on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list. If he stays on the list into the regular season, Smoot will be ineligible to return until at least October.

Still, Smoot is the longest tenured player on the Jaguars defense and a leader who could provide a much needed boost to the pass rush whenever he’s cleared to return.

Contract (2023): $1,080,000 base salary, $1,170,000 signing bonus, $1,102,941 roster bonus (paid per game), $1,000,000 in incentives, $4,352,941 cap hit.

Acquired: The Jaguars picked Smoot with the No. 68 overall pick in the third round of the 2017 NFL draft.

PFF grades:

  • 70.3 (2022)
  • 68.1 (2021)
  • 57.3 (2020)
  • 45.1 (2019)
  • 71.6 (2018)
  • 59.5 (2017)

Highlight:

Quote: “He was another one at the end of the year before the injury that was being disruptive. Another one, obviously, in the pass rush conversation. He’s probably a little later as for coming back to the football team because of a later injury during the season. I think his leadership, his pass rush ability, the fact that he can play inside and outside, his versatility there.” – Jaguars coach Doug Pederson on Smoot

Calvin Ridley (No. 0) Travis Etienne Jr. (No. 1) Rayshawn Jenkins (No. 2) C.J. Beathard (No. 3) Tank Bigsby (No. 4) Andre Cisco (No. 5)
Chris Claybrooks (No. 6) Zay Jones (No. 7) Logan Cooke (No. 9) Parker Washington (No. 11) James McCourt (No. 12) Christian Kirk (No. 13)
Kendric Pryor (No. 14) Tim Jones (No. 15) Trevor Lawrence (No. 16) Evan Engram (No. 17) Nathan Rourke (No. 18) Sammis Reyes (No. 19)
Daniel Thomas (No. 20) Latavious Brini (No. 21) JaMycal Hasty (No. 22) Foyesade Oluokun (No. 23) Snoop Conner (No. 24) D’Ernest Johnson (No. 25)
Antonio Johnson (No. 26) Divaad Wilson (No. 27) Tevaughn Campbell (No. 29) Montaric Brown (No. 30) Darious Williams (No. 31) Tyson Campbell (No. 32)
Devin Lloyd (No. 33) Gregory Junior (No. 34) Ayo Oyelola (No. 35) Christian Braswell (No. 36) Tre Herndon (No. 37) Qadree Ollison (No. 38)
Jamal Agnew (No. 39) Erick Hallett (No. 40) Josh Allen (No. 41) Andrew Wingard (No. 42) Kaleb Hayes (No. 43) Derek Parish (No. 43)
Travon Walker (No. 44) K’Lavon Chaisson (No. 45) Ross Matiscik (No. 46) De’Shaan Dixon (No. 47) Chad Muma (No. 48) Shaquille Quarterman (No. 50)
Ventrell Miller (No. 51) DaVon Hamilton (No. 52) Willie Taylor III (No. 53) DJ Coleman (No. 54) Dequan Jackson (No. 55) Yasir Abdullah (No. 56)
Caleb Johnson (No. 57) Raymond Vohasek (No. 59) Darryl Williams (No. 60) Samuel Jackson (No. 62) Coy Cronk (No. 64) Chandler Brewer (No. 67)
Brandon Scherff (No. 68) Tyler Shatley (No. 69) Cole Van Lanen (No. 70) Walker Little (No. 72) Blake Hance (No. 73) Cam Robinson (No. 74)
Cooper Hodges (No. 75) Anton Harrison (No. 76) Josh Wells (No. 77) Ben Bartch (No. 78) Luke Fortner (No. 79) Kevin Austin Jr. (No. 80)
Seth Williams (No. 81) Elijah Cooks (No. 84) Brenton Strange (No. 85) Gerrit Prince (No. 86) Jaray Jenkins (No. 87) Oliver Martin (No. 88)
Luke Farrell (No. 89) Henry Mondeaux (No. 90) Dawuane Smoot (No. 91) Jordan Smith (No. 92) Tyler Lacy (No. 93) Folorunso Fatukasi (No. 94)
Roy Robertson-Harris (No. 95) Adam Gotsis (No. 96) Michael Dogbe (No. 98) Jeremiah Ledbetter (No. 99) Brandon McManus (No. 10) Jacob Harris (No. 83)
Josh Pederson (No. 49)

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Jaguars place Dawuane Smoot on PUP list to begin training camp

Dawuane Smoot is still working to recover from an Achilles injury that ended his 2022 season.

The Jacksonville Jaguars brought back veteran pass rusher and defensive lineman Dawuane Smoot on a one-year deal, but he isn’t quite ready to participate in training camp.

On Wednesday morning, the team placed Smoot on the physically unable to participate (PUP) list.

Smoot, 28, was leading the Jaguars in sacks last season when he suffered a season-ending Achilles injury in December. He’s reportedly been ahead of schedule in his recovery, but it’s still expected to be a while before he’s back on the practice field.

Jaguars coach Doug Pederson told reporters Wednesday that offensive lineman Ben Bartch, who is also on the PUP list, will get involved later in camp and Smoot will take even longer than that.

If Smoot misses time early in the regular season, it could be costly. His new deal with the Jaguars includes $1.25 million in per game roster bonuses, paid out in $73,529 installments for every game he’s active. If he doesn’t come off the PUP list before the end of preseason, Smoot will be required to sit out the first four games of the season.

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Jaguars re-sign veteran pass rusher Dawuane Smoot

Dawuane Smoot is staying with the Jaguars after all, his agent announced Friday.

Dawuane Smoot is sticking with the Jacksonville Jaguars after all.

According to his agent David Canter, the 28-year-old veteran reached a deal with the Jaguars on Friday, days before he was scheduled to have a free agent visit with the Baltimore Ravens next week. It’s a one-year deal worth a maximum of $6.25 million, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

Smoot is the longest tenured player on the Jaguars defense and was leading the team in sacks during the 2022 season when an Achilles injury in December ended his year. While there were nothing but positive signs surrounding his recovery, the injury still complicated his return, even if the Jaguars insisted he was an offseason priority.

Last season, the Jaguars finished No. 26 in the NFL in sacks and they made very few moves during the 2023 season to amend that deficiency. Improvements in the area will mostly depend on the development of 2022 first overall pick Travon Walker and the consistency of former Pro Bowler Josh Allen.

The return of Smoot provides some proven production to the depth chart, as the former third-round pick has finished each of the last four seasons with at least four sacks.

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Report: Former Jaguars pass rusher Dawuane Smoot to visit Ravens

Dawuane Smoot’s return to the Jaguars has seemed inevitable, but the Ravens could throw a wrench in those plans.

Free agent pass rusher Dawuane Smoot, who spent the first six seasons of his career with the Jacksonville Jaguars, is set to visit the Baltimore Ravens next week, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

The return of Smoot has seemed inevitable for the Jaguars, but with NFL training camps getting started this week, the veteran pass rusher is still unsigned.

The Jaguars’ lack of urgency to bring back Smoot may prove costly with other teams now reportedly interested.

Smoot, 28, was picked in the third round of the 2017 NFL draft by the Jaguars and saw limited time early in his career. In the last four years, he’s recorded at least five sacks in every season.

Complicating his return to Jacksonville has been an Achilles injury that ended his 2022 season in December. While updates on his progress have been resoundingly positive, the Jaguars have hesitated to commit to the veteran pass rusher.

Earlier in the offseason, the Jaguars allowed outside linebacker Arden Key to reach free agency where he signed with the Tennessee Titans. Smoot and Key finished with the second and third most sacks for the Jaguars during the 2022 season, respectively.

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Best available NFL free agents ahead of training camp

We’re looking at the best available NFL free agents for the Philadelphia Eagles to target ahead of training camp

The Eagles are always doing their due diligence on potential roster additions.

With training camp just 15 days away, we wonder if any of the top remaining NFL free agents would fit in Philadelphia.

The Birds are stacked at almost every position.

With so many talented players available on the open market and only many roster spots, here are the best remaining NFL free agents.

PFF suggests Rams sign OLB Dawuane Smoot before training camp

PFF named Dawuane Smoot as a free agent the Rams should consider signing before training camp begins.

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The Los Angeles Rams have a largely inexperienced group of edge rushers on the current roster. With training camps around the NFL set to begin next month, PFF’s Brad Spielberger mentioned Dawuane Smoot as a potential free agent the Rams should sign before they report to camp.

At the moment, the Rams’ edge rushers have a combined 4.5 career sacks and all of those were recorded by Michael Hoecht, an interior defender that transitioned to edge rusher in 2022. Earlier this offseason, the Rams took three edge rushers during the 2023 NFL draft to pair with guys like Hoecht, Keir Thomas and Daniel Hardy.

Smoot tore his Achilles late in the 2022 season, so this is really investing in a younger free agent for 2024 and beyond, but that has been the overarching focus of the Rams’ offseason already. Perhaps Smoot is open to a multi-year deal like we’ve seen recently for players such as Ja’Wuan James with the Baltimore Ravens during the 2021 offseason, where he gets paid around the minimum, has access to an NFL training staff year-round and can then get ready to bounce back in a major way in 2024.

Smoot, who was taken one pick ahead of Cooper Kupp in the 2017 NFL draft, developed into a formidable edge rusher with the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Illinois product has posted five-plus sacks and five or more tackles for loss in four consecutive seasons.

Amid a playoff run by the Jaguars in 2022, Smoot sadly had his season cut short by a torn Achilles in Week 16 versus the New York Jets. So it remains to be seen if Smoot will be able to log any snaps during the 2023 campaign.

Spielberger mentions that the Rams could sign Smoot to a multi-year deal with the idea that he’d get a year with the medical staff and then prepare to bounce back in 2024. The Rams could use experience in their pass rusher room and Smoot provides that, even if he’s unable to contribute on the field all season in 2023.

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